heels, sox & steelers
Can we draft Matt Walsh? He looks great in the film room.
I´m somehow happy that I´m not "around" when the draft takes happen. We could watch part of it in germany, but I´m on the road coaching across the country and sleeping in a bus-too-small during the picks.
I´m a bit scared when I´ll wake up on sunday, though ...
I think when the scouts say "can play both tackle and guard" what they actually mean is "can play either tackle or guard", which is unfortunate, really. We could do with a guy like the first one of those.
The experts say that you can't grade a draft until three years have passed.
What grade would you give the 2005 Steeler draft?
As a great man once said...
"It is what it is..."
Think of the respect that the Steeler personnel folks must have around the league - as soon as the Steelers take interest in someone they shoot up the boards...First Otah, then Albert and now Cherilus....
Think about it.
Honestly, as long as we don't pick Kyle Brady or Heath Shuler in R1 I'm good. At some point you gotta trust our management to do their job.
As far as Williams different length claws, heck, I figure it's an advantage. Wouldn't you be a little creeped out about a 6'7" mutant with Bud Stange arms? http://budstange.com/
Looks like our secret is out on RB Ryan Torain. This from Scout.com...
"A league source (said) the Pittsburgh Steelers had requested a private workout with Arizona State running back Ryan Torain, but it was then opened up on short notice to all 32 teams. Joining the Steelers at the recent workout were the Colts, Packers, Giants, Cardinals and Titans."
Oh, well.
AT,
I'd give it a B. They got one great player (Miller), one competent corner (McFadden), 2 decent backups (Essex, Kemoeatu), 3 washouts (Nua, Wallace, Gibson) and one player that went on to be a decent player for the Packers (Herron).
A B seems about right. Miller has turned into one of the better TEs in the league and of the ones who actually block he's right there with the very best. People like Winslow and Gonzalez and Heap don't do very much, or very good, blocking.
Anonymous was me
Quick though:
Every time I read an article about how some certain team has mastered the later rounds of the draft because they got lucky in one year, I want to pull out my hair.
Is it that hard to actually do an analysis on how many of those late round picks actually become productive NFL players? And then apply that and see if any teams consistently draft well in the late rounds.
I'm guessing that no teams consistently draft well in the late rounds.
I guess that wasn't so quick after all.
I agree with you 100% Cols. Now go do the analysis!
Ha ha
I'm not that smart. And it must be harder than I think or someone who is smarter than me would've done it already.
I thought this was a little bit interesting, from Jaguar.com Q&A...
>> Dennis from Indianapolis, IN
"Speaking of the Bengals standing on principle, are there any good examples of teams not giving in and it working out for them or can a player really successfully hold a franchise hostage?"
>> Vic: "The example that comes to mind for me, because I covered it, is Mike Merriweather, a top linebacker for the Steelers in the 1980’s. He wanted to re-negotiate his contract and Steelers policy was that they didn’t do that. Merriweather held out and the Steelers let him sit the whole year. In the following draft, Merriweather was traded to the Vikings for a first-round pick. So, who was the loser? The Steelers went without his services, which they needed, but Mike lost a year’s pay. The night before the Jaguars’ inaugural game, I attended a black-tie event in one of the stadium clubs and I was surprised to see Mike in attendance. We immediately went to each other and talked. Mike is one of the best people I’ve ever covered and by then he had become a preacher, which was no surprise to me because Mike was always a guy who lived his faith. We talked about the holdout and I asked him the big question. Do you regret it? “Yes,” he said. Everyone tried to talk him out of it because they knew the Steelers would stand on principle and he’d end up losing a year of his career, and that’s exactly what happened. Careers, in my opinion, are too short to give a year away. "
Also, today Wex seems to think that if the Ravens can't get Matt Ryan with their first round pick, they will move up from their second round pick, possibly to the first, to grab Joe Flacco.
Joe has a good-looking arm, but I'm inclined to think of him as a mini-Rothlisberger on the dollar menu.
Anyway, I'm guessing the Steelers won't be their trading partner.
Mostly positive piece on Gosder Cherilus in today's Boston Globe (Cherilus boasts up his performance against all these ACC stud DEs of recent seasons-- Mario Williams, Gaines Adams, Chris Long etc.), although I had forgotten that Cherilus was one of the BC players involved in a brawl at The Greatest Bar last summer, and charges are still pending. Someone better do their homework on that incident, because with a Mass state cop involved as a witness, a conviction on at least one of the charges is probably forthcoming. I wouldn't expect jail time or anything, but this might fall under the NFL's conduct policy (which would probably only entail a 4-game suspension at most, but still).
http://www.boston.com/sports/foo...chip_off_block/
Ah, good ol' Somerville HS; when I got out of college, my first place was right down the street in Winter Hill.
/trip down memory lane nobody cares about
Ryan Wilson, member of Whitey Bulger's infamous "Winter Hill Gang"? Nah, I don't see it...
Meet Sam Baker.
I think someone here set the over/under on OL taken in the first round at 31 last week, but now that sounds a little too low.
We won't trade with the Ravens, but not because of any division rivalry. They have four non-comp picks, and IMO won't move up, period. Hard to see them doing much beyond combining their second and fourth to move to ~31. Other teams have tons of picks and trade-up combinations (Falcons, 11 picks; Chiefs, 12). Either of those teams could dance with us at 23. So it depends on which QB teams might move up for, whether Brohm, Flacco, or Henne rates higher. Ravens might not get much of a choice if there's a run going.
I heard that a good trade partner would be the Falcons....
SCI.com has posted their final Mock Draft....
RD One - Phillp Merling, DE, Clemson
(Limas Sweed, DeSean Jackson, Gosder Cherilus, Brandon Flowers and Malcom Kelly were all selected AFTER Merling)
RD Two - Chilio Rachal, OG, USC
(Groves went after this pick)
Is there anyone who is scheduled to go in the 1st round that you don't want the Steelers to draft? Since we can't figure out who they are going to take, maybe we can figure out who they aren
I'm pretty sure that I don't want them to take Joe Flacco or Brian Brohm.
No to Desean Jackson, aka Willie Reid.
No to Calais Campbell, who looks like 7 feet of sleepy beef.
No to Aqib Talib, who's out on a chronic run as we speak.
No to Lawrence Timmons, again, even if he is called Jerod Mayo this time around.
No to Jeff Otah, who makes Max Starks look like Michael Flatley, Lord of the Dance.
No to Flacco, Brohm, and Henne, LLC.
No to Gosder Cherilus, who really is Max Starks, playing a cruel joke on the world.
They won't take Merling either. He's not a starter in a 3-4. Balmer's stock is rumored to be dropping hard and fast, too.
I think Kansas City's trade for Minnesota's pick officially kills any chance of Albert falling to 1.23. No way he gets past the Chiefs, who are desperate for O-line help.
Found this posted yesterday by Wex in answer to a thread about Merling being drafted by the Steelers...
"A first round DL would have to play right now. Merling is too light to play inside in their dime. He needs 25 more pounds. Plus he tested positive twice, plus he bombed at his combine interviews, plus he has a hernia. Will workout for scouts Thursday. He may not be drafted in the first round since he doesn't rush the passer well enough for the 4-3 teams."
It should be noted, however, that the Steelers were in attendance at his workout today. He hasn't completely healed yet from surgery for a sports hernia, but he reportedly performed well enough to allay some fears about him.
Interesting trade thoughts... (yes, wishful thinking, I know)
Trade with Carolina:
CAR trades 2.43, 3.67, 3.74
PIT trades 1.23, 4.123
PIT ends up with picks:
2.43 (OT Sam Baker)
2.53 (DE/OLB Cliff Avril)
3.67 (CB/FS Charles Godfrey)
3.74 (WR/KR/PR Eddie Royal)
3.88 (DE Kendall Langford)
5.156 (DE Red Bryant)
6.188 (QB/ATH Dennis Dixon)
RE: QOTD
I'll tell you who I don't want who the prognosticators said we'll draft in R1:
Balmer
Mayo
Groves
Any WR
Who I want in R1:
1. BA
2. Stewart
3. Talib
Some more background on that... I'm thinking about which teams might want to move up into Round 1 for a QB, and the primary candidates that I see are Atlanta, Carolina, and Chicago. Having extra 2nd and 3rd round picks really intrigues me, I really hope the Steelers have and take the opportunity to trade down.
A little history. I've been looking back at our drafts. 1987 looks much better than I remembered:
1. Rod Woodson
2. Delton Hall
3. Charles Lockett
4. Thomas Everett
5. Hardy Nickerson
6. Tim Johnson
6. Greg Lloyd
7. Chris Kelley
8. Charles Buchanan
9. Joey Clinkscales
10. Merril Hoge
11. Paul Oswald
12. Theo Young
Woodson, Everett, Nickerson, Lloyd, and Hoge all turned out to be great.
Mr. Wexell has posted his predictions for the Draft tomorrow:
He's thinking Cherilus in Round One - if he is gone, they'll trade down. Trading down could result in Dre Moore (DE) or Duane Brown (OT)
This is getting fascinating (not that it wasn't already) but I watched both the Trib Review and PPG's guy's respectively talk amongst themselves about who the Steelers will draft and they have no clue.
Eddie B, however, says don't discount the Trade Up....
Think Polamalu, J Stewart or B Albert...
Info on Duane Brown - who was mentioned by Dulac and Eddie B as well:
http://www.nfldraftscout.com/rat....php?
pyid=11685
Ok, here's the deal folks - I'm working from home and my wife is at a Baptism tomorrow, so be prepared - I'm all over the 'net:
Vic Carucci posted his latest Mock Draft and still believes the Steelers will get Branden Albert...
http://www.nfl.com/draft/story?i...eo&
confirm=true
Just wondering, is this Farrior's last year as a Steelers?
If it is Farrior's last year, does Foote slide over to buck? Because there's no one else.
Duane Brown's too much a project for my liking.
I say Albert's gone NLT 1.17, the Chief's second first round pick.
F
There's Timmons.
Cols, I'm assuming Timmons wins the mack spot. So that assumes Farrior would leave and who would take the buck? Foote? Or a 2009 rookie?
I think that Timmons plays next to Farrior this year and next year takes his spot.
Random thought as we approach 24 hours until Christmas in April...
With all the talk of trading down - what happens IF the Steelers say "..fine, you want to trade up? We want your OT or OG"...???
Talk amongst yourselves....
Sounds like ESPN Radio 1250 will be dedicating the bulk of the afternoon on the Draft...MM is off today....
Interesting tidbit from ESPN Radio 1250:
Out of the 10 men that started on the O Line for the past two Super Bowl Champions (Giants and Colts) - 4 were undrafted and only one was drafted in the first round...
You know what to do - that's right - talk amongst yourselves.
Meaningless, it's easier to get a top OT in the first round than hope to strike gold in the later rounds. Which is true for most positions I suppose. RB may be excepted.
The point they were making Cols (I believe) is that you don't want to take an O-Lineman in the 1st Round just to take him. If there is a player with better value (Jonathan Stewart for example) you jump on it....
The consensus on the Mock Drafts from what I just heard:
Gosder Cherilus 5
Jonathan Stewart 3
Have a weird gut feeling that we're not going heavy on OL early. Best value is gone by 1.23, and we move down.
Who do you target in a trade-down? I'm going heavily from visit lists...
Falcs' 2.48 + 3.68 + 4.103 = 758 760 = 1.23 Steelers
2.48 - Cliff Avril, OLB, Purdue. Groves is gone, Avril's the best pass rush talent on the board.
2.55 - Jerome Simpson, WR, Coastal Carolina. Might be gone by 68, is not a huge dropoff from the higher talent, could be a Z receiver now and more later.
3.68 - Charles Godfrey, CB/FS. Versatility is a plus, especially if he can be groomed at FS.
3.88 - Kendall Langford, DE, Hampton. Might not last to 4.
4.103 - Mike McGlynn, OL, Pitt. Also might not last to 4, but at the top of 4, if we get a guy like McGlynn, who could possibly play any OL spot but LT, it'd be a great pickup.
4.123 - Orlando Scandrick, WR/KR, Boise St. Need that KR. If he can play any corner, fine.
5.156 - King Dunlap, OT, Auburn. Rumor we are interested, and if the top LTs are gone early, and we're not enamored of Collins, Nicks, et al., he could be a project. Certainly has the size. Needs a fire lit under his ass.
6.188 - Keilen Dykes, DL, WVU. With some time to bulk and strengthen, could develop as a backup NT, and in the meantime could play DT in the 40 fronts for pass rush.
Gosder Cherilus is giving me indigestion. If Jonathan Stewart falls to 23, draft him and be happy. Some mocks now have him going top 10, and FWIW I think he'll be a better pro than McFadden. Mendenhall, too.
I had heard somewhere (and for the life of me I cannot recall where) that McGlynn will be a better pro and start for more years than Otah....
SteelerBill
Of course, sorry about that. And you know what, despite my earlier position of being against drafting an RB in the 1st round, I'm down with Stewart.
Dude
Don't feed the troll, let him / her starve.
Cols, I agree.
F, keep posting, my friend.
And, uh, Ryan, editing may be required.
Have you guys made any connection with Cherilus and Ryan both being from BC? Who made who look good? Just sayin'...
Didn't Cherilus ask to wear Ryan's number when he arrived on campus?
Not a problem Cols - that was the major debate on Radio this afternoon.
The Steelers have a need at O-Line, do you take the 'best available' or take one that fits your system later on and take the 'best available' player?
Also, the thinking is that the Mock Drafts are saying Cherilus based on this theory and no inside info.
Eddie B is going to tell us tomorrow morning who he thinks the Steelers will select...could be interesting.
Now this is interesting...in sort of a "I don't have anything else to do with my time" sort of way...
http://nfldraft.rivals.com/conte...1164&
CID=800827
Come on, who doesn't want another Mock Draft? This, from Jay Glazer at FoxSports.com:
23. Pittsburgh — Boston College tackle Gosder Cherilus. They would love for Stewart to drop here, but that is unlikely. If he does, they take him. They also love Indiana wide receiver James Hardy and a few other wideouts but they really want a lineman or pass rusher. They also like Miami defensive end Calais Campbell.
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/sto...ay's-mock-
draft
My apologies for really stupid people. Editing complete. Carry on.
Oh, and in terms of the weekend schedule, I'll have a post up tomorrow morning so Henigin can all tell us who the Steelers are drafting. And depending on how many comments we get, I'll throw up a new post or two so we can bellyache about why Gosder Cherilus will doom the franchise.
My apologies, for stooping to the level of and feeding the troll. I thouhgt I'd lay low and wait it out, but as someone here mentioned back a few weeks, I can't stay away. You all are a good bunch, and I enjoy your insights.
Cherilus: Grades out at about 78%, whether working right or left. Liked his Senor Bowl performance, but the whole thing with Starks still bugs me. If we are only keeping Max one year at $7M, when we could have Colon anchor RT, that's cap folly, prepping a new RT. If Max gets extended, then we have 2 (or 3) RTs. I just don't see Max as a long-term LT, and what worries me about the Goz talk is that the FO may.
First I heard the Steelers like Calais. I dunno. Case of measurables versus unmeasurables. Too risky in R1.
Hardy is a decent prospect, but the question of where he fits comes up. Do we move SH to the Slot and Hardy to SE? Are we considering Hardy as flanker down the road? IMO, having a solid Z receiver who could possibly grow into the flanker spot makes more sense. But Hardy goes to the short list in a trade-down.
My question is whether Tomlin's visible man-love of Groves is Timmons reprised, or some newfound pokerface? I can't see Groves getting past SF at 29, so the idea of Groves being there if we trade down seems unlikely. (SF has interest in Groves and Avril, mirroring our intents.) They're also up at 2.39. Maybe Tomlin is that transparent?
As to who made who look good between Cherilus and Ryan, not really connected. No QB can flourish without a solid OL, but Ryan had nothing for receivers. I'm not as high on him as most, but he did make chicken salad out of chicken PittsburghTom. Cherilus's blocking grades are independent of Ryan. Just don't see much inter-dependence in terms of evaluation.
Now this is interesting...in sort of a "I don't have anything else to do with my time" sort of way...
http://nfldraft.rivals.com/conte...1164& CID=800827
SteelerBill | 04.25.08 - 5:42 pm | #
What I think is interesting is some of these small schools, not even on that list. Last year I really liked Hampton's Justin Durant, and this year Kendall Langford. Appalachian State's WR Dexter Jackson and FS Corey Lynch are both guys on my radar. And how about Bethune-Cookman, home of Rashean Mathis (what is it with the Jags getting my small school prospects?). This year, another FS, Bobbie Williams.
Other guys from small schools the Steelers have interest in, or should:
Antwuan Molden, CB, E. Kentucky. 6'1" 198, 4.34 40. One of several guys who could get drafted as CBs and switch to FS. Allowed 48% passes against, but a great numbers guy. Visited.
Brandon Keith, OT, Northern Iowa. 6'5" 343. Rumored interest. Chad Rinehart is the teammate garnering attention, but is Keith better? Quit on the Sooners -- twice. Might be a late round flyer.
Pierre Garcon, WR, Mount Union. 6'0" 210, 4.42. Unconfirmed rumors of a visit. Good blocker, poor man's Ward? Round 5?
Jerome Simpson, WR, Coastal Carolina. 6'2" 199, 4.42. A serious contender for R2 consideration. Some boards have him as low as 4, but IMO he could go late 2, early 3. One scout reported "he could catch a BB in the dark." Has the bigget hands of any receiver in the draft (11"; James Hardy is next at 10 1/4"). HUGE catching circle. Compared to Housh and Reggie Wayne. Could be our Z, now. A confirmed visit. (!)
Dexter Jackson, WR. 5'10", 182, 4.33. KR ability will be something the Steelers value. (Cf. Chris Johnson, RB/KR, East Carolina; and Orlando Scandrick, CB/KR, Boise St; both confirmed visits.) Jackson's a late 3, but is he better than Willie Reid?
Bobbie Williams, FS, Bethune-Cookman. 6'1" 215, 4.47. Compared to Eagles' Brian Dawkins. Would be a great late-round pickup.
Others:
Chad Rinehart, OG, Northern Illinois.
Jerome Felton, FB, Furman.
Brian Jonston, OLB, Gardner-Webb.
Curtis Johnson, OLB, Clark-Atlanta.
Rudolph Hardie, DE, Hampton.
Marcus Dixon, DE, Hampton.
I just can't see the Steelers ignoring their O-line in R1.
Cherilus, Williams, or (yuck) Otah should be available at 1.23. You have to bet the Steelers will bite.
None of these guys are perfect answers, especially for our needs, but each will become a starter and each can give us options that we will need this year and beyond.
Bottom line: The Steelers are better off with one of these guys right now.
I don't think we'll see any flashy picks tomorrow. O-line, D-line, maybe a CB. But that's okay. We'll have a better team for it.
What do you guys think about Sam Baker, T, USC?
CNNSI.com's Stewart Mandel says:
"Let's see here. Baker was the starting left tackle -- most important position on the line -- for the most dominant program in the country for four straight years. When Baker got injured last season, quarterback Mark Sanchez (filing in for Booty at the time) suddenly found himself running for his life. Based purely on Baker's college track record, I assumed he would be one of, if not the top, tackle on the board; instead, I see he's barely in the top 10. Baker reportedly did not test well at USC's pro day, which means, of course, that those four years never happened."
David...I recall early on that Sam Baker was a guy slated to go to the Steelers - did we visit with him?
So, uh, anyone just see the Penguins game?
I think I pooped my pants.
Oh, and Mike Tomlin was at the Pens game tonight. He appeared to be sitting in one of the first few rows and was wearing a spiffy bright gold sport jacket. He was signing the back of some dudes shirt.
EB picks us to get Balmer. Lord, I hope not.
And more evidence this draft is the wackiest I've ever seen: NFL Network tonight (last night for you East coast guys) picked us to get McKelvin.
John Clayton write this morning that if Matt Ryan goes early, the Ravens could trade down, possibly to #10, and select Chad Henne.
That would be awesome.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/
dr...e=ESPNHeadlines
While watching EddieB's and Dulac's video a couple days ago, I was surprised at how poorly prepared they seemed to be to talk about draft. (One image that came to mind was of a couple bears coming out of hibernation.)
They seem to hate the draft almost as much as Ryan does.
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